PESCARA. No to the passage of horse-drawn chariots in the southern area of Pescara, between Fosso Vallelunga and San Silvestro beach, on the border with Francavilla al Mare. This is the request made for some time by some residents. Yet the first reports date back to about twenty years ago, according to what a local resident points out. And on September 22, 2022, the residents returned to the office by presenting to the mayor’s secretariat Carlo Masci and to the secretariat of the councilor for public works Luigi Albore Mascia a dossier with 150 signatures collected among the inhabitants of viale Primo Vere, via Anelli, via De Sanctis, via Celommi and Villaggio Alcyone.
Chariot and horses at sea before the arrival of the municipal police
Chariot and horses free on the beach, or rather, in the sea: fines are issued
The abusive phenomenon is accentuated, the owners of the animals stopped by the municipal police in front of Villaggio Alcyone. And the proposal on lights and license plates is progressing in the Commission
Among the critical issues highlighted, not only that of the chariots, considered a distinctive feature of the city with a negative meaning, but also the degradation and abandonment of the entire neighborhood. Two years later, however, according to what residents report, there has been no response. In particular, the package deposited with the Municipality requested the resurfacing of the road surface, the care and maintenance of the flowerbeds, and the creation of two walkways for the disabled in Fosso Vallelunga. “There have been several administrations,” says a resident, on behalf of others in the area, “but the problem remains. In the morning, around 8, the chariots descend from Colle Cetrullo, skirt Fosso Vallelunga, pass via Luciani, via Monte Carmelo and emerge on viale Primo Vere, near the La Caravella bathing establishment. They also arrive at the beach from the Alcyone village and here they either leave the chariot behind the fountain and head into the water with the horse, passing through the path that leads to the stretch of free beach, or they enter the sea directly with the chariot. A situation of which all the people of Pescara are aware”, he adds, “and which violates article 49 of the highway code and jeopardizes safety, especially when, on public holidays, even chariot races are organised, around at 7:30”.
Reports from citizens have also highlighted health and hygiene problems and urban decorum due to the excrement left by animals on pavements and roadways, but also critical issues relating to the conditions of animal detention. The city councilor Armando Foschi, on several occasions, he spoke on the issue and recalls the union ordinance of 24 June 2021, which prohibits the transit of horses and chariots. «We are proceeding with the addition of the mandatory license plate for the chariots, which must meet the legal requirements, otherwise the seizure will be triggered», specifies Foschi.
